Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Bucs, Tom Brady Discussing New Contract

March 6th, 2021 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Tom Brady recently moving the goal posts on his long-established play-until-he’s-45 target, the Buccaneers are discussing a new deal with their quarterback. And the sides are making progress, according to veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson (on Twitter).

Brady is on Tampa Bay’s books at $28.4MM in 2021. An extension would be a way to reduce that number and help the Super Bowl champions retain some of their high-profile free agents. GM Jason Licht said last month a Brady extension was on the radar.

Coming off a rather successful age-43 season, Brady has said he is open to playing past age 45 now. (Brady will turn 44 in August.) His two-year, $50MM contract runs through 2021.

The Bucs have $11MM in cap space and can only retain one of their marquee free agents with the franchise tag. Chris Godwin and Shaquil Barrett are Tampa Bay’s tag candidates, and the team also has Lavonte David, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, Ndamukong Suh and Leonard Fournette looming as free agents-to-be. Free agency opens March 17, but the legal tampering period begins two days earlier.

The Bucs have said they want to keep everyone in this group, and some of these cogs have indicated they would like to return. While Brady’s presence and the Bucs’ status as defending champions stands to be a draw for veterans during a year in which many could be available — due to the likely reduced salary cap — the aforementioned contingent played a significant part in Tampa Bay claiming its second Super Bowl title. Losing a few from the group would sting.

Although Brady did not make the Pro Bowl, he climbed back into the top 10 in QBR (seventh) after a spotty 2019 season in New England. The future Hall of Fame quarterback bounced back from a three-INT second half in the NFC championship game, throwing three TD passes in the first half of Super Bowl LV. He will miss much of the Bucs’ offseason program due to knee surgery and may be out until June. However, Brady having spent a year in Bruce Arians‘ offense figures to make this offseason less important than last year’s for the 21-year veteran.

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin Not Opposed To Franchise Tag

February 25th, 2021 at 10:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Chris Godwin should be among the best free agent wideouts this offseason, but a franchise tag would prevent the Buccaneers receiver from truly testing his market. While the franchise tag often leads to hostility between teams and their star players, it doesn’t sound like Godwin is all that concerned about that route.

“Yeah, I mean, the way I look at it, similar to like a lot of guys,” Godwin said to MJ Acosta of NFL.com (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Obviously, we all want to have long-term security; we all want to be able to take care of the people that we love. So that’s the ideal situation. But, you know, a franchise tag is not something that I can control. If that’s what keeps me here, then that’s what it is. And I’ll play on it and go back to war with my guys. Like I said, I love it here in in Tampa. I love what we have building, and I would love to stay.”

If the Buccaneers do ultimately slap Godwin with the franchise tag, he’ll still see a considerable pay raise from his 2020 salary. After making $4.65MM in the final year of his rookie pact, he’d earn more than $16MM via the wide receiver franchise tag in 2021.

Godwin also discussed his impending free agency earlier this week. While he noted that the “goal obviously is to get paid,” he also acknowledged that he doesn’t want to put himself in a situation where he’s miserable.

The former third-rounder was a revelation in 2019, finishing the season with 86 receptions for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns, leading to his first Pro Bowl nod. Despite Tom Brady passing him the ball in 2020, a reloaded offense resulted in decreased numbers for Godwin this past season. The 24-year-old ultimately finished the campaign with 65 catches for 840 yards and seven scores in 12 games. In four playoff games, Godwin caught another 16 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown.

The Buccaneers certainly aren’t strangers to the franchise tag; they used the tag on Shaquil Barrett last offseason. Instead of tagging Godwin, there’s a chance the organization could slap Barrett for a second-straight season, as Williams notes.

Bucs Notes: Brady, JPP, Brown

February 24th, 2021 at 7:02pm CST by Rory Parks

There are several high-profile Buccaneers that have undergone offseason surgery already. According to head coach Bruce Arians, five-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady has gone under the knife to clean up the knee issue we heard about several weeks ago (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe). Though Brady will not be ready to participate in team drills until June, the fact that Tampa is willing to discuss an extension with him suggests the club is not particularly worried about his prognosis.

Meanwhile, OLB Jason Pierre-Paul underwent a knee surgery of his own today, as Jenna Laine of ESPN.com passes along. JPP had arthroscopic surgery on the same knee in July, and he landed on the injury report throughout the 2020 season as a result of the injury. Still, he didn’t miss a game and led the Bucs with 9.5 regular season sacks, so he will head into a contract year with plenty of momentum and, hopefully, a clean bill of health.

On a related note, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that RB Ronald Jones recently had a pin removed from his broken left pinky finger, which required surgery in December. Jones played through the injury and finished off a successful third pro season. After a disappointing rookie year, Jones is living up to his status as a former second-rounder and, like JPP, has a good chance to set himself up for a big payday if he can replicate his 2020 performance in 2021.

Here are a few more notes on the defending champs:

As you know by now, the Bucs have a number of big-name free agents, which could make this offseason a difficult one for GM Jason Licht to navigate. The team has made it clear that it wants to bring back players like WR Chris Godwin and LB Lavonte David, and it sounds like Godwin might be willing to offer Tampa a hometown discount. Fellow wideout Mike Evans has also expressed a willingness to take a paycut, but Arians isn’t sure that outside FAs will be willing to take less than market value just for the opportunity to play with Brady and the Bucs. “Dollars still talk,” the 68-year-old HC said (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic). Because of how many in-house priorities Tampa has, Arians suggested his club might not be especially active in the free agent market anyway.
In addition to Evans’ willingness to make a personal sacrifice to keep the band together, there are a number of other players who are open to restructuring their own deals, per Arians (Twitter link via Stroud). Such restructures would not result in less money for those players, but it would open up more cap space for the Bucs to retain most, if not all, of their top FAs.
Another free agent the Bucs want to keep, Antonio Brown, obviously has off-field matters to tend to. Britney Taylor’s lawsuit against Brown is set for trial in December, and as Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic writes, Taylor wants to subpoena copies of all documentation the Bucs have related to Brown (she is subpoenaing Brown’s three former teams as well). Taylor is not seeking to depose any team executives, and she needs court approval to send the subpoenas.

Bucs To Make Strong Push To Keep Lavonte David

February 24th, 2021 at 3:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The high-profile Buccaneers free agent that has not generated much in the way of offseason headlines remains a priority for the team. Tampa Bay does not plan on letting Lavonte David leave without making a strong effort to retain him.

With the franchise since 2012, David is in the same boat with a rather famous collection of more recent Buccaneer additions — Rob Gronkowski, Ndamukong Suh, Antonio Brown, Leonard Fournette, Shaquil Barrett and Chris Godwin — in being on the cusp of free agency. And the Bucs already have a major linebacker investment under contract, in former top-five pick Devin White.

Bucs GM Jason Licht said it would be “extremely important” to keep the David-White tandem together, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). David signed a five-year, $50.25MM extension in 2015 and has remained a quality linebacker throughout that deal. His next contract will come ahead of his age-31 season.

The sides were not believed to have made substantial progress in their extension talks last year, and little has emerged indicating otherwise in the months since. But David did say at the time he wants to retire as a member of the Buccaneers. Pro Football Focus graded David as its fourth-best off-ball linebacker last season, putting him on track for big money from the Bucs or another team soon.

Since David’s last extension, C.J. Mosley and Bobby Wagner moved the needle for traditional linebackers considerably. Wagner’s $18MM-per-year extension tops that market, and 10 other linebackers signed deals worth more than David’s since his 2015 extension agreement. Although the salary cap reduction figures to play a role in older veterans’ earning prospects this year, David should still have a live market. And he may reside behind Barrett and Godwin in the Bucs’ free agency pecking order, creating an interesting situation ahead of the legal tampering period’s March 15 opening.

Bucs To Talk Extension With Tom Brady?

February 24th, 2021 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

Jason Licht talks to Tom Brady “often.” Their next convo could include contract extension discussions, the Buccaneers GM says.

“It’s a possibility. He certainly didn’t look like he slowed down any this year,” Licht told Rich Eisen (Twitter link). “It appears that he had a really good time this year winning the Super Bowl…It’s a match made in heaven, so we’d like to keep this going.”

A Brady extension isn’t necessarily the team’s No. 1 priority, since the veteran is signed through the 2021 season. However, a new deal could allow the Buccaneers to retain more of their standout free agents and retool as necessary. This year’s out-of-contract group includes wide receivers Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, tight end Rob Gronkowski, linebacker Lavonte David, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, and running back Leonard Fournette. Fortunately for the Bucs, Godwin seems willing to give a bit of a hometown discount.

“The goal obviously is to get paid, right? But, at the same time, I’m not stupid,” Godwin said recently. “I’m not going to put myself in a situation where I’m going to be miserable for some years to come just for a couple extra dollars. I think my happiness is paramount in all of this and part of that happiness is winning. Just having a bunch of different guys on the offensive side that can make your job a little bit easier but also give you the best chance to win is something that I’m strongly considering.”

Brady, who will turn 44 before Week 1, still says that he wants to play forever and ever. Meanwhile, he’ll undergo surgery to clean up a lingering knee injury that hampered him in 2020.

Latest On Buccaneers, Chris Godwin

February 23rd, 2021 at 6:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers’ group of free agents may be the highest-profile batch on a single team since full-fledged free agency began in 1993. Chris Godwin hovers at or near the top of this list, joining Shaquil Barrett and Lavonte David in a contingent that also includes Rob Gronkowski, Leonard Fournette, Ndamukong Suh and Antonio Brown.

While the Bucs are hopeful they can retain all of these players, that might be unrealistic — especially if most or all of them choose to maximize their value coming off the team’s Super Bowl LV win. Godwin has earned the least amount of money among this group, having been a third-round pick on a rookie contract for the past four years.

The Pro Bowl wide receiver wants a high-end contract but sounds willing to listen to the Bucs on a slight hometown discount, should his other top-tier offers come from teams with far worse situations. Tampa Bay is understandably prioritizing Godwin, who may be the top franchise tag candidate out of this decorated contingent.

“The goal obviously is to get paid, right? But, at the same time, I’m not stupid,” Godwin said during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (via NFL.com). “I’m not going to put myself in a situation where I’m going to be miserable for some years to come just for a couple extra dollars. I think my happiness is paramount in all of this and part of that happiness is winning.

“Just having a bunch of different guys on the offensive side that can make your job a little bit easier but also give you the best chance to win is something that I’m strongly considering.”

Mike Evans and Scotty Miller are certain to return for Tampa Bay, but it is not yet known if this collection of skill-position talent will all be back for Tom Brady‘s age-44 season. Gronkowski may have a Bucs-or-retirement stance, and Brown wants to return as well. Fournette may not have as clear of a path back to south Florida.

If Godwin is tagged, Barrett would need to be extended before March 15 for the Bucs to avoid having their top pass rusher negotiate with other teams. With Barrett seeking a monster payday, the Bucs will have a decision to make with their sought-after 20-something free agents. The Super Bowl champs have until March 9 to determine which player they will tag.

A wideout franchise tag is expected to come in around $16MM. With Allen Robinson and Kenny Golladay also standing as tag candidates, Godwin reaching free agency would push his price north of this point.

“I think an extension would be ideal, but at the end of the day if the franchise (tag) is what happens, then that’s what I gotta do and then we’ll revisit later,” Godwin said. “I want to be in Tampa, but at the end of the day, I want to get paid too.”

Browns Lead NFL In Salary Cap Carryover

February 18th, 2021 at 10:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Earlier today, the NFL Players Association announced (via Twitter) the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2021 season. Effectively, teams are able to rollover their unused cap from the previous season. So, when the 2021 salary cap numbers become official, they can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that individual club’s official cap for 2021.

This follows news from earlier today that the NFL has raised its salary cap floor to $180MM for 2021. This total could clue us in to the salary cap maximum, which could end up landing north of $190MM. The salary cap was $198.2MM for the 2020 campaign.

As the NFLPA detailed, the league will rollover $315.1MM from the 2020 season, an average of $9.8MM per team. The Browns lead the league with a whopping $30.4MM, and they’re the only team in the top-five to make the playoffs. The NFC East ($68.8MM) and AFC East ($65.3MM) are the two divisions will the largest carryover amounts.

The full list is below:

Cleveland Browns: $30.4MM
New York Jets: $26.7MM
Dallas Cowboys: $25.4MM
Jacksonville Jaguars: $23.5MM
Philadelphia Eagles: $22.8MM
New England Patriots: $19.6MM
Denver Broncos: $17.8MM
Washington Football Team: $15.8MM
Miami Dolphins: $15.2MM
Detroit Lions: $12.8MM
Cincinnati Bengals: $10.8MM
Houston Texans: $9.2MM
Indianapolis Colts: $8.3MM
Los Angeles Chargers: $8.1MM
Chicago Bears: $7MM
Los Angeles Rams: $5.7MM
Kansas City Chiefs: $5.1MM
Arizona Cardinals: $5MM
Pittsburgh Steelers: $5MM
New York Giants: $4.8MM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $4.6MM
Minnesota Vikings: $4.5MM
Carolina Panthers: $4.3MM
New Orleans Saints: $4.1MM
Buffalo Bills: $3.8MM
Green Bay Packers: $3.7MM
Las Vegas Raiders: $3.6MM
Tennessee Titans: $2.3MM
San Francisco 49ers: $1.9MM
Atlanta Falcons: $1.8MM
Seattle Seahawks: $956K
Baltimore Ravens: $587K

Former Chargers, Buccaneers WR Vincent Jackson Dies

February 15th, 2021 at 3:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson was found dead in a hotel room Monday in Brandon, Florida, Josh Benson of WFLA reports (on Twitter). He was 38.

Jackson checked into the hotel Jan. 11 and had stayed there for weeks, but WFLA adds he was reported missing on Feb. 10. Authorities spoke with Jackson on Saturday. A housekeeper at the hotel found him dead around 11:30am ET Monday. No cause of death has been reported. Deputies did not discover any signs of trauma, according to WFLA.

A former Chargers second-round pick, Jackson starred in the NFL for over a decade. He played 12 seasons with the Bolts and Buccaneers. In six of those, the 6-foot-5 wideout surpassed 1,000 receiving yards. Despite being a Division I-FCS product, Jackson made three Pro Bowls and was one of the league’s better receivers for most of his career.

Jackson’s career ran from 2005-16. In 2018, he was said to be “very happily retired” after a decorated career. For four straight years, Jackson won the Bucs’ Man of the Year award. He signed with Tampa Bay in 2012 and played five seasons with the team.

The Bolts drafted Jackson out of Northern Colorado in 2005. They did not use him much as a rookie, but the small-school product stepped into a key role for the contending Chargers a year later and joined Antonio Gates as the team’s top pass catchers for the next several seasons. Jackson was a key player for the Charger teams that won four straight AFC West titles from 2006-09. Jackson held out in 2010 but reported in-season to preserve an accrued year toward free agency. Ten years ago today, the Chargers franchise-tagged him. A year later, Jackson signed a five-year, $55.5MM deal with the Bucs. Jackson played out that contract.

Jackson posted his final three 1,000-yard campaigns as a member of the Bucs, doing so despite lacking the quarterback stability he enjoyed with Philip Rivers. Jackson wrapped his run as a pro by forming one of the more physically imposing receiving duos in NFL history, with Mike Evans joining him in Tampa in 2014. Both Jackson and Evans eclipsed 1,000 yards that year. For his career, Jackson finished with 540 catches for 9,080 yards and 57 touchdowns.

Buccaneers Assistant Tom Moore Not Retiring Soon

February 14th, 2021 at 9:20pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve already heard that 68-year-old Bruce Arians won’t be riding off into the sunset after the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl win, so why would his 82-year-old offensive consultant Tom Moore? Moore apparently isn’t planning on calling it quits anytime soon, as he told Guy Limbeck of the Rochester Post Bulletin that “I want to coach until physically or mentally I can’t or until I die. He added “because there is absolutely nothing about working that turns me off. So I want to coach as long as I can, I want to coach as long as someone will hire me and that I can do the job that I’m supposed to do.” Moore never made it to head coach but had multiple runs as an OC in the NFL, most recently coordinating the Colts’ offense from 1998-2008. He was Arians’ assistant head coach with the Cardinals from 2013-17.

Buccaneers Tried To Trade Up Higher For Tristan Wirfs

February 14th, 2021 at 7:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

A large part of the reason the Buccaneers were able to pull off their Super Bowl run was the stellar protection Tom Brady got throughout the playoffs. One of the main reasons Tampa’s O-line saw so much improvement this year was the drafting of right tackle Tristan Wirfs in the first-round last April.

The Bucs traded with the 49ers to move up one spot in the draft from 14th to 13th and select Wirfs. Speaking on a recent episode of the Pewter Report Podcast, Bucs GM Jason Licht revealed he tried to trade up much higher to get his guy.

“I was stunned,” Licht said about Wirfs slipping that far to them. “I saw him starting to fall. I was trying to go and get him, well, even higher than nine and nobody wanted to make any deals and I think we made the first trade of the pandemic at-home draft.” Licht explained how he believed there was another team below them looking to trade with the 49ers and take Wirfs. Fortunately for Bucs fans, Licht says San Francisco was worried they’d miss out on Javon Kinlaw if they moved much lower than 14th, so they took the deal from Tampa.

Licht wanted to move into the top ten, but ultimately only had to give up a fourth-rounder to move up the one spot. Had he succeeded in getting into the top nine picks or so, he would’ve had to part with a lot more draft capital than that.

Wirfs ended up being one of the best rookies in the league this season, and looks like he’ll be a high-end starter for many years to come.

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